It was a very absurdly-foolish song as to words, just as three parts of the songs mostly are; but its theme was love, and that was enough for Ethel and for him; to both the words were no doubt nothing short of sublime. A kind of refrain followed every verse: the reader shall at least have the benefit of that.
"And if my love prove faithless,
What will be left for me?--
I'll let him think me scathless,
And lay me down and dee."
There were five or six verses in the ballad, and these lines came in after every verse. Ethel had a sweet voice and sang well. Mr. George North stood against the wall outside, his ears and his heart alike taking in the song, the words being as distinct as though they were spoken. The final refrain had two more lines added to it:
"But I know that he is not faithless:
He'll be true to me for aye."
Ethel left the piano with the last word and came to the window, her bright face, raised to look at te moon, glowing with a sweet, hopeful expression that seemed to tell of love.
"But I know that he is not faithless: